


London Calling

by toast_protocol



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, RIORDAN Rick - Works, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Mortal, College, F/M, M/M, Multi, University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 17:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18761236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toast_protocol/pseuds/toast_protocol
Summary: Piper Mclean thought the hardest part of going to university in a new country would be living with people, navigating an unknown city, and well, the work. Little did she know that relationships and love would be infinitely more complicated than her history degree.The seven and Nico meet for the first time when they all start studying in London and have been assigned to the same flat. Love triangles, friendships, and betrayals ensue.





	1. London Calling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper meets her new roommates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rights to Rick Riordan :)

Piper stepped out of the cab, bags in tow, and gazed up at the tall, mundane building that she supposed she would be living in for the next year. Not that she was an expert, but she had always heard that London was praised for its historic and unique architecture. This was... not it. The tan walls and rows upon rows of dark windows seemed to be mocking, taunting her. 'You've left your whole family for this', 'goodbye, Miami', 'this is what you get for thinking this would be like Hogwarts'. Piper tried to ignore the teasing, it was all in her head, after all. In any case, you could never judge a book by its cover. Her whole life, Piper had been judged by how she looked. Whether people were calling her a ‘half breed’ for her Cherokee heritage or assuming she was stupid for her pretty face. Either way, she was sick of it.

In her youth, Piper had resented her beauty because of this. She supposed, really, that was probably why she was such a ‘tomboy’ today. She had completely rejected everything that could be considered girly or feminine. Now, she had grown out of it. She understood that she could be multi-faceted. Being intelligent didn’t mean that she couldn’t embrace her feminine side. Being pretty didn’t mean she was dumb. And if people couldn’t see that? Then fuck them, Legally Blonde’s been out long enough that people should realise that stereotypes like that don’t mean shit.

Pushing her way through the sea of families and students looking at maps and schedules and having teary goodbyes, Piper finally made her way to the lobby.

“Hi, I’m uh,” Piper quickly looked down at her schedule “Apartment 12? Do you know how to get there?”

“Flat 12? You must be an international student. Floor 3. You can take the lift to the left here.” The receptionist gestured vaguely. Piper glanced at her nametag, Mellie. She was sweet, Piper thought, and pretty too. Her eyes were a dark chocolate brown, and her pointed ears reminded Piper of some kind of elf. Piper thanked Mellie and began to walk left of the reception desk.

Every step made Piper’s muscles ache. After a 10-hour flight, the last thing she needed was to be carrying heavy suitcases and navigating her way around London for the first time. Perhaps, Piper thought, she should have accepted her dad’s offers to come with her and help. But she had always had problems accepting help. Independent to a fault, her grandpa would have said. There were two ways it could have gone, growing up so privileged. Way one, she never learned to do anything for herself. Way two, she built herself up just like her father had, she made something for herself based on her own credit. She was perfectly happy suffering the second way.

Piper slumped against the cold, metal wall of the elevator- _lift_ , she mentally corrected herself. Small spaces had never been Piper’s scene, and she could feel the pressure of being in the cramped elevator- _lift_ \- now more than ever. Of course, the fact she was about to move in with seven people she had never met didn’t help. As the lift slowly crawled closer to the third floor, Piper could feel her heart begin to beat faster and faster. Until, finally, floor three.

“Shit.” Piper cursed at herself under her breath as she looked through her various pockets to find the plastic hotel-like room key. 

Before Piper could find the key, the door swung open to reveal a tall, blonde girl. Her hair had been pulled into a messy ponytail, and even through her loose clothes, Piper could tell she was toned underneath. 

“We thought we heard someone out here.” The unnamed girl laughed, “here, I’ll help you with your bags. I’m Annabeth, by the way.” Annabeth held out a hand, Piper instinctively reached out to shake her hand in response. 

“Thanks, I’m Piper,” lines formed between Annabeth’s eyebrows “Oh. You. You were offering to take a bag. Of course, no one shakes hands these days.” 

“It’s fine,” Piper was relieved to hear her laugh it off, “Is this all you bought? I mean good on you, two bags, that’s admirable. Wish I had packed that light!”

Piper stopped dead in her tracks “Two?” she asked 

Annabeth stared back at her, mouth slightly agape, and her eyebrows followed once more as if to say, ‘can you count?’. Great. Piper was doing an amazing job of making herself look like an idiot in the two minutes she had known this girl.

“I must have left one in the cab. Fuck.” Piper exhaled, too tied for real anger or annoyance. 

Following Annabeth further into the apartment, Piper worried that the outside of the building was just like the inside. Sometimes you could judge a book by its cover, it seemed. For instance, if the book was covered in dog shit, then it might not be a book you want to open. And right now, Piper felt like she was living inside that shit-covered book. The walls were stained with damp and god knows what else. The carpets were a shade of muddy brown and frayed beyond belief. The lights illuminated it all, spotlighted all the flaws and blemishes under its harsh hospital-like glow. 

Annabeth guided Piper into what she assumed was the kitchen, with five people squeezed around an old dining room table. 

“Guy, this is Piper. We’ve got another American,” Annabeth then turned back to Piper to explain, “We’re all American so far. Well, except for Nico, he’s Italian.” 

“Hey!” Chided a boy who looked of Asian descent and had a babyish face, “I’m Canadian. Also, I’m Frank. Nice to meet you!”

Forgetting her exhaustion, Piper spent the next hour or so getting to know Annabeth and the five other people in the kitchen. The apartment may not be much to look at (even if you really squinted), but the company, Piper decided, more than made up for it. 

Piper had always been a quick judge of character, and her talents refused to fail her, fighting against the nerves and anxiety bubbling just beneath her surface.

Percy was the first person that Piper really noticed. His hair was messy and his smile mischievous. The 'I don’t care about anything’ look that normally aggravated Piper, but on Percy it made sense. He joked and laughed so easily, that even Piper could’ve been fooled into thinking he was as carefree as he was trying to let on. Yet, in his eyes, Piper could see just how nervous and closed off he really was. She couldn’t criticise him for that though, Piper herself was no stranger to wearing masks. She wondered if anyone else here could see that side of him? She doubted it. She didn’t doubt, however, that everyone else there could see the quick and not-so-subtle glances he kept shooting at Annabeth.

Classic Type A personality would have been Piper’s first assessment of Annabeth. For the most part, Piper figured, that was right. Impatient, anxious, proactive. But Piper took note of the way she moved around the kitchen, leaving cabinets open, putting things down and away in seemingly random places. And the tightness between her shoulder blades; Annabeth held the weight of the world on her shoulders. Piper respected her for that and saw some of herself in her. But Annabeth was clearly intelligent in a way that Piper never would be. She was logical, she had an answer for everything; she had to have an answer for everything. Piper tended to deal better in emotional intelligence. 

Frank, the not-American, was quiet. Unsure of himself, Piper would have guessed. He was kind though, and sweet. The type of person who apologized excessively, even when things were most definitely not his fault. Piper quickly reminded herself not to underestimate him. She couldn’t quite place her finger on exactly why, but she was certain that Frank wasn’t quite what he seemed. She could sense some kind of power or strength within him, judging from his demeanor, a strength he couldn’t even see in himself.  

Sitting next to Frank was Hazel. She was petite and had gorgeous caramel coloured hair in tight curls. She sat with a straight back, her shoulders relaxed- exuding confidence. She offered advice and wisdom easily, advice that should not have come so easily to an eighteen-year-old girl. Mature beyond her years, intelligent. Despite her bright smile and bubbly personality, Piper saw an easy defiance in her. Wanting to defy expectations for the sake of defying expectations. Piper could understand the desire to show people that they didn’t know you, that they had no control over you. 

Leo was a force of nature. Joke after joke after joke. Small and petite, his frame barely measured up to his ego. Well, false ego. It would be easy to brand him as arrogant, he was practically fellating himself every time he opened his mouth. However, in Piper’s experience an ego that big was usually born of insecurity. Not that Piper thought he had any reason to be insecure, he was funny, clearly intelligent and by no means unattractive. But everyone had their reasons. She was sure someone could say the same of her, but until you walked a mile in someone else’s shoes, you never truly knew their motivations. 

Finally, Nico, the Italian boy. It had taken Piper a while to even really notice him. He seemed to melt into the shadows, blend unnaturally into his surroundings. Quiet, but not in shyness, in a more calculating way. If Piper had to guess, she would say Nico was reading everyone else in the room just as she had been. He was pale and slim, his dark tangled hair falling into his eyes. The maternal side of Piper, however small it may be, wanted to feed him a hot meal and berate him about ‘getting the colour back in his cheeks’. But if there was one thing she could determine about Nico, it was that that type of affection would go highly unappreciated.

Without any warning, the laughter in the room was cut short by a tall, lean, blonde boy with piercing blue eyes walking into the kitchen. He opened his mouth to talk, but before he could make it, Piper interrupted him-

“Hey! You’ve got my bag!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from 'London Calling' by The Clash- "London calling to the faraway towns... London calling to the underworld." I chose London Calling by the Clash as the title for both the whole fic and the chapter as it's just a classic song about London tbh. I chose to set the story in London rather than the US because I go to uni in London, so I feel like I can talk about and only sound like I'm chatting a small amount of shit (rather than a really massive amount of shit).


	2. Crush Culture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper bonds with Annabeth and Hazel, as they all try to come to terms with any developing feelings they may be having for the boys they live with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All rights to Rick Riordan :)

All eyes in room suddenly darted to the large turquoise suitcase sitting at the boy’s feet.

“This is your bag?” He questioned, dumbfounded

“Yes!” Piper was adamant. Adamant and confused

“Well, I didn’t steal it. It was just outside the building. I was going to take it to some kind of lost and found later”

“Well,” Annabeth began, knowingly, “you said you had lost it, Piper, the cab driver must have taken it out of the trunk”

So, the introductions began once more, and Piper realised just how mechanic they were.  _Hi. I’m Piper. I’m from Miami and I’m studying history. I love reading and I’m so excited to study in London…_ She supposed it was the fastest way to get to know someone, on a surface level at least.

Despite their rocky introduction, this new guy- Jason, seemed nice. He was from San Francisco, like Annabeth, and blonde, like Annabeth, and smart, like Annabeth. Piper tried not to look at him too much, because whenever she did, she got that dangerous feeling in the pit of her stomach. The 'just before the drop on a rollercoaster, butterflies in your tummy, heart in your mouth' type of feeling that was usually followed by disaster and broken hearts.

Jason continued to talk, but Piper wasn’t really listening. She couldn’t listen, couldn’t focus on his words, because all she could do was incessantly think about Jason. Piper wasn’t sure if she really had a ‘type’, the idea was somewhat funny to her. The notion that everyone had just one kind of person that they fell for- it was stupid. There were over 7 billion people on this planet, to say you would only ever go for someone with brown eyes or long hair was ridiculous. So, no, Piper didn’t have a ‘type’. But if she did, she thought it would look something like Jason Grace. Piper was captivated by his calm eyes and soft, sweet smile. He was open and generous with affection, even though he had only just met these people. Like a wolf, Piper thought- loyal, intelligent, strong.

“Piper?” Hazel asked, suddenly pulling Piper out of her daydream, “You’re coming tonight, right?”

Tonight was the first night out ‘freshers’, a university-sanctioned week of events held at a slew of nightclubs. Everyone had found the notion of ‘freshers’ exceedingly strange. Most of them had come from countries with a legal drinking age of 21, drinking alcohol wasn’t new to them- they’d all been to parties- but having it encouraged by the university was something else. Even Nico was surprised, he had told them that although the legal drinking age in Italy was 16, getting drunk wasn’t seen as a socially acceptable thing to do. Piper couldn’t deny that the night sounded fun, and it would be a great way to get to know everyone a little better- true friendships were forged in the trenches and all that. She was also hoping that a few drinks might make Nico open up a little more, make him more comfortable around the others. She couldn’t help but worry about him, he was so reserved and quiet, the type of guy she figured could do with a few friends in his corner.

Piper felt the yes on the lips about to be spoken, she thought about the flight she had taken hours earlier, the sleep she craved and willed herself to say no.

“Of course!” Piper replied, proving her willpower needed some serious work.

And that was how Piper found herself sitting on Hazel’s bed, styling Annabeth’s hair, and talking about boys. She got the sense that this was new territory for all three of the girls, and though she had expected to hate it, she was having fun. With Annabeth and Hazel, Piper felt that instant connection that you sometimes do with new people. The unspoken agreement that you’re going to, at some point, end up being best friends. It was nice having such an immediate friendship with the girls. And being able to admit how attractive she had found Jason out loud.

“Yeah, Jason is cute,” Annabeth mused, “but Percy. Ugh. He’s so annoying and his jokes are so dumb. But,” she sighed in defeat, “I would kill for a chance with him.”

“You should make some moves on him tonight” Hazel replied, eyebrows raised suggestively

“Please,” Annabeth snorted in amusement, “I’m self-destructive, but I’m not  _that_  self-destructive. Sleeping with a roommate is…” she paused in thought, “well, it’s a bad idea. It’s not just shitting where you eat. It’s shitting where you prepare the food, eat it and then do the dishes.”

“You don’t  _have_  to sleep with him, you know. You could just take things slow.”

“No.” Annabeth stared wisely into the middle distance “I would have to sleep with him.”

Though Piper laughed along with Hazel at Annabeth’s response, she completely agreed with everything Annabeth was saying. Even though she wanted to deny it even to herself, she had fallen way too hard, way too quickly for Jason. Piper was shocked by just how quickly these feelings for Jason had stirred inside her. She wasn’t a crushy girl, and she definitely wasn’t a fall-too-hard-too-fast girl (not that there was anything wrong with being that type of girl, just that Piper wasn’t). If she was into someone, it was because she knew them well. Because she respected and cared about them. Most importantly, if she liked someone she just let them know. She wasn’t into the secrecy of it. And yet the thought of telling Jason about her not-crush-but-definitely-a-crush made her stomach churn.

“What about you, Hazel?” Piper asked as she worked on Annabeth’s hair “I can definitely see something between you and Frank?”

“Frank is nice, and I like him. But I don’t know. Leo seems nice too.”

“I think you and Frank would be cute together” Annabeth interjected

“No,” Hazel shook her head slightly, “You were right earlier, Annabeth. Dating within the apartment is a bad idea.”

Annabeth turned her head and shared a knowing look with Piper, they both knew Hazel was talking out of her arse. And quite possibly they were too. Piper had a bad feeling that this night might not end well.

“Come on. Let’s talk about something else,” Annabeth broke the silence, “Us just talking about boys is such a gross cliché and I can’t stand it. This is the 21st Century, we can be so much more three dimensional than that.”

Piper couldn’t help but smile. Uni housing really was a lottery, and right now she felt like she had won the jackpot. Piper had heard the horror stories, she had read forum after forum about just how bad roommates could be. Sure, there were the people who ate your food, or left dishes, but Piper was really worried that the people she would be assigned to live with just wouldn’t be nice. That they would tease her for her Cherokee heritage, isolate her for not being girly enough, or be cruel and rude without any real reason, just for the sake of it. She hadn’t just been worried about it, she had been sure that it would happen. And even though Piper usually liked being right, she had never been gladder to be so completely wrong.

To her surprise, Piper opened up to her new friends easily. She told them about her dad being somewhat famous, how she had had to fight her whole life for his attention, and the crazy things she had done to get it.

“So, you just…” Piper could see the shock written across hazel’s face “stole a car?”

“It depends on your definition of 'stole'. I convinced the man at the dealership to give it to me. I can be very persuasive.”

“Convinced him?”

“Well, he said I tricked him. But if you can get tricked into just giving away cars, then you should probably choose a line of work other than car salesperson. That’s on him.”

“I stole my dad’s car once. I was going through my rebellious phase. Completely wrecked it. I got in so much trouble, worth it just to see the look on my step mom’s face, though.” Annabeth smiled fondly at the memory

“Do you and your step mom not get on then?” Piper asked, curious.

“We don’t not get on per se,” Annabeth explained, “But she was always the bad cop growing up. And I wasn’t her daughter. I always thought she hated me, but I guess it’s more complex than that.”

Though Annabeth tried to hide it, Piper could see a hint of sadness behind her steely grey eyes as she talked about her life growing up. Piper knew what it was like to grow up without a mom, how hard it could be. Her dad was great, but she had always felt like some part of her was missing. Thinking about her mom and who she might be always led Piper to the same question: who was she? Cherokee people understood their heritage matrilineally. Piper wasn’t obtuse enough to think that her entire identity was dictated by her family history or genetics, but it was important to her nonetheless. She had always felt that not being able to know her mother meant she would be unable to ever truly know herself.

Their conversation was interrupted by a sharp knock on Hazel’s bedroom door. Leo poked his head into the room, “we’re ready to leave when you are, we’ll be in the kitchen” he said, his signature smile a little wider and brighter than usual.

“Just give us 5 minutes” Hazel replied, shooting him a similar smile in response. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from 'Crush Culture' by Conan Gray- "Crush culture makes me want to spill my guts out". I chose this song because I thought it matched Piper's attitude in the chapter; she doesn't want to be developing this crush; same goes for Annabeth and Hazel. They're trying to deny their initial feelings for Jason, Frank, and Percy.


End file.
